Eintracht Frankfurt II

Lore & Background

Eintracht Frankfurt Amateure first reached the highest level in Hesse by earning promotion to the Amateurliga Hessen in 1969, winning the league in its first attempt in 1969–70. The team played in that league, renamed Amateur-Oberliga Hessen in 1978, for 26 consecutive seasons, with runners-up finishes in 1978, 1983, and 1995. The 1995 runner-up finish allowed promotion to the newly formed Regionalliga Süd, but the team lasted only one season before dropping back to the Oberliga Hessen. It won promotion again in 2002, again staying only one season in the Regionalliga, and later qualified for the new Regionalliga Südwest in 2008, where it played for six seasons until 2014.

Reader's Guide

Eintracht Frankfurt II has served as a developmental platform for numerous players who later achieved prominence, including Jürgen Klopp, Jermaine Jones, Cenk Tosun, and Oka Nikolov. The team was frequently supported by Ultras Frankfurt, especially during derby matches against Darmstadt and Kassel. In April 2014, the club board decided to withdraw the U23 team from league operations after a DFL ruling allowed Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga clubs to freely choose whether to operate an under-23 reserve team. The team was re-admitted to the Hessenliga for the 2022–23 season, winning the league in its first attempt that season. Its history reflects the evolving role of reserve teams in German football, from compulsory to optional, and its re-establishment underscores the continued importance of youth development for Eintracht Frankfurt.

Did You Know?

• The team was formerly called Eintracht Frankfurt Amateure until 2005.
• From 2009 to 2014, both FSV Frankfurt and Eintracht U23 played at Bornheimer Hang.
• The team won the Oberliga Hessen championship in its first attempt in 1969–70 and again in 2022–23 after re-establishment.
• Several players represented Afghanistan while signed with Eintracht Frankfurt U23, including Abassin Alikhil, Ali Amiri, Zubayr Amiri, and Milad Salem.